Acharya Vyakul (1930 – 2000), whose full name was Acharya Ram Charan Sharma, lived most of his life in Jaipur, the capital of India’s Rajasthan. He was member of the Brahman caste within Hindu society. Brahmans are designated as the priestly class, serving as ministers and spiritual teachers. The basis of the age-old veneration of Brahmans is the belief that they are inherently of greater ritual purity than members of other castes and that they alone can perform certain vital religious tasks. The study and recitation of the sacred scriptures was traditionally reserved for this spiritual elite, and for centuries all Indian scholarship was in their hands.
Vyakul was a guru to many and an ardent collector of magical and religious items, establishing his own private museum in Jaipur with a collection of folk and Tantric art. He was also a prolific artist, poet, and philosopher who painted Tantric iconography with fluid improvisational strokes. He used a wide range of materials—from coal, flowers, stone pigments, and marker pens to communicate a mystical vision with dynamic energy. He referred to himself as a “modern artist with roots" and exhibited worldwide, including in the exhibition "Magiciens de la Terre" at The Centre Pompidou in Paris in 1989.
All the works in this exhibition are from the collection of The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation. Established in 2013, The Foundation is dedicated to the mission of educating the public about the importance of art and increasing public awareness of self-taught and emerging artists. In 2015, the Foundation announced its intention to donate proceeds to the Harlem Children's Zone when it sells works from its collection. As part of the Foundation's broader philanthropic mission, proceeds from the sales of its artworks will benefit the Harlem Children's Zone as well as the Foundation itself.
Photograph of the artist by Kapil Jariwala (Jaipur, 1997)
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Five Overlapping Chakras, 1989Pigment on paper8 1/2 x 10 in. (21.6 x 25.4 cm)(AVy 17)SOLD
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Ascending, 1995Pigment on paper9 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (24.1 x 11.4 cm)(AVy 18)$4,000
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Prithuvaksh Shalagram, 1991Pigment on paper9 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (24.1 x 15.9 cm)(AVy 9)$5,000HOLD
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Untitled, 1995Natural pigment on paper5 7/8 x 8 3/4 in. (14.9 x 22.2 cm)(AVy 14)$4,000
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Untitled, 1998Natural pigment on paper8 1/2 x 6 in. (21.6 x 15.2 cm)(AVy 15)$4,000
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Untitled, 1997Mixed media on paper8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (21.6 x 16.5 cm>)(AVy 22)$4,000
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Sandman, 1999Mixed media on paper8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (22.2 x 15.9 cm)(AVy 23)$4,000
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Untitled, 1992Natural pigment on paper6 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (17.1 x 23.5 cm)(AVy 16)$5,000
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Mandala, 1994Mixed media on paper8 3/4 x 8 1/4 in. (22.2 x 21 cm)(AVy 13)$5,000
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Tristag, 1999Mixed media on paper8 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (22.2 x 16.5 cm)(AVy 24)$4,000
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Untitled, 1999Mixed media on paper6 1/2 x 9 in. (16.5 x 22.9 cm)(AVy 10)$5,000
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Untitled, 1991Natural pigment on paper8 1/4 x 6 in. (21 x 15.2 cm)(AVy 7)$4,000
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Untitled, 1990Natural pigment on paper8 3/4 x 7 in. (22.2 x 17.8 cm)(AVy 8)$5,000
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VF II, 1992Mixed media on paper9 x 6 3/4 in. (22.9 x 17.1 cm)(AVy 11)$5,000
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Yoni, 1990Pigment on paper9 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (24.8 x 16.5 cm)(AVy 20)$5,000
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Srishti (Origin), 1991Mixed media on paper9 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (24.8 x 16.5 cm)(AVy 4)$5,000HOLD
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Shaktisayujya (Combination of Energy), 1990Mixed media on paper9 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (24.8 x 15.9 cm)(AVy 5)$5,000
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Untitled, 1996Natural pigment on paper8 1/4 x 6 in. (21 x 15.2 cm)(AVy 1)$4,000
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Trayavasthayena, 1990Pigment on paper9 x 13 1/2 in. (22.9 x 34.3 cm)(AVy 19)$5,000
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Narasinha Shaligrama, 1990Pigment on paper8 x 11 3/4 in. (20.3 x 29.8 cm)(AVy 2)$2,000
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Bhava Santulana (Balance) , 1991Pigment on paper6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (16.5 x 14 cm)(AVy 3)$4,000HOLD
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Untitled, 1995Natural pigment on paper6 1/2 x 8 3/8 in. (16.5 x 21.1 cm)(AVy 6)$4,000
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Rudra, 1999Mixed media on paper8 5/8 x 6 5/8 in. (21.9 x 16.8 cm)(AVy 26)$4,000
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Untitled, 1990Natural pigment on paper8 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (21.6 x 15.9 cm)(AVy 12)$4,000
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